A very Royal Speech!

If you’d told Patrick Powell a few years ago that he would have been speaking in front of a large crowd at Buckingham Palace just before Christmas last year, he would have never believed you. While growing up in Hackney, East London, Patrick never really had an opportunity to unlock his potential, or discover what he was really capable of achieving.

This all changed however after Patrick participated on 2 Outward Bound courses last year, which taught him some key skills such as commitment and time-management, as well as how to communicate with people effectively and be part of a team. As a result of his Outward Bound experience, Patrick has started a Youth Work course at college and now mentors young people in his local area in his spare time. He was asked to speak about his Outward Bound experiences at a Gala Event at Buckingham Palace back in December, and enjoyed every single minute of it – something which we just wanted to share with you...

"Good evening everyone, I’m Patrick Powell, I’m 20, and I live in Hackney in East London. I’m a Student, studying for an NVQ in Youth Work at Hackney Community College.

I grew up in Hackney and moved a lot when I was younger, which meant I moved schools a lot too. I went to 6 schools in total and got permanently excluded from one when I was 15, so I never finished my GCSE’s. Around this time my home life was quite unstable too, so I went into care when I was 17.

I first came to learn of Outward Bound through The Virtual School for Looked After Children in Hackney. They told me that Outward Bound was an opportunity to get out of Hackney and do some challenging activities in the country – I decided to go for it.

My first Outward Bound experience was a 5-day course in Aberdovey in Wales. There were 10 of us from Hackney, and it was my first time in Wales. As soon as we arrived I started thinking, ok, what’s next?!

Over the next few days we did a lot of activities. One was Jacob’s ladder, a wooden frame about 15ft high that we had to get over as a whole team. I am totally scared of heights but I helped everyone get over, especially one girl who was really frightened. I think my best memory from the course is kayaking in the rain and asking our instructor if we could jump from the jetty into the sea afterwards – he said it was fine and it was so exhilarating to do that.

The 5-day course showed me:

  • Certain things I had that I didn’t realise I had
  • That I can take responsibility
  • That I wanted to help people more
  • and as a result, I switched from a painting and decorating course at college to a youth work course instead

At the end of my 5-day course in Wales my instructor recommended that I could really benefit from the challenge of doing a 3-week course in The Lake District over the summer, and told me that I could probably be sponsored to do it. I took some time to think about it, as 3-weeks is a big commitment over the summer but, I decided to do it and was funded to do so. I felt very touched by the support of my funder – you don’t get many people who are willing to help a stranger and make an impact in other people’s lives, and I thought it was really kind and generous. I really appreciated it and was very grateful.

The 3-week course was HECTIC! When I arrived I thought the first night would be sleeping in a bed in the centre but I was very wrong! We ate and then were straight outside to camp in the forest, not in a tent but under some plastic sheeting we had to put up ourselves. It was an interesting night, hoping that it didn’t rain and sleeping under the stars. We camped outside for the whole 3 weeks.

The hardest part of the course was 3 of us navigating together without an instructor. It was misty, wet, foggy, everything. One guy in my group had a huge blister and it massively slowed us down. We got there in the end but it was still raining and it was hard work, really hard. The highlight of my 3 weeks was probably when we got to the top of a mountain – Mount Skiddaw. The view was so amazing. I could see the shape of Scotland and The Isle of Man. This activity really pushed me beyond limits which I have never reached before.

Outward Bound has taught me:

  • To get up early in the morning – I was so used to getting up early on the course that I do it every day now.
  • That I now really have a desire to help people, especially young people and that is why I switched from painting and decorating at college to a youth work course.
  • That I am now committed to seeing things through. Now I know I have finished a 5-day and 3-week Outward Bound course, I know I can commit to things.
  • If someone had told me when I was 16 that I would be standing in front of people at Buckingham Palace I would never have believed them. I would probably have laughed in their face and told them to get lost. Look at me now.

Finally, I just want to say thank you for those who make this possible for me and others like me – thank you".